Marshall JCM-2000 TSL 100

The features has allready been discribed in earlier reviews, however I like them all. Before this amp I used a JMP-1 with a 8008 poweramp and an alesis midiverb III but it got stolen, I think this amp sounds much better but I miss the built in midicontrol from the jmp-1. I play punkrock and the distortion of this baby is just what I need, I use the crunch and lead channels for shifting between ryth'm and solo volumes. With the deepswitch in you can almost forget to get a basist, just push it in and you have all the low end rumble you could wish for. I crank the clean channel up and push in the mid-boost so the duncans in my S-100 distorts if I play it hard and crystal clean if I play it soft, I only wish the gain would go a little further case it sounds a little unnatural with the gain all the way up. The About the reverb, I don't use it much but it sounds fine to me and it's alot better than the midiverb. I like the effects loop in wich I run a danelectro cool cat chorus, very good with a switch so I leave the pedal with the ac-adaptor by the amp and switch it on and of with the amps pedal. I tried the thing with a dummy in it but I didn't like the sound when I switched the loop on go get the lower volumes, it sounded weaker and didn't remain the punch but I really don't need more sounds than the crunch and lead so why bother?

As I said I use this amp wiith a Guild S-100 equipped with Seymore Duncan humbuckers, a Jeff Beck by the bridge and a 59' at the neck. In the store I first tried this amp with lots of different cheap guitar like fender squires, epiphones and so on, they all sounded like shit on this amp. To get the max out of this amp you need good picups, preferably humbuckers. A friend of mine brought his old strat over to try the amp out, he got a completly different sound out of the amp. Ofcourse he should get a different sound cause he uses a singlecoiled guitar with a bolton neck (the S100 has a glued) but I have never heard that big difference between two guitars trough the same amp, it truly brings out the charactistics of your guitar.
As others has stated before me, this amp is laud and that's all in the way of punkrock. Though punkrock is the base for my bands (Hellkave) music, it's mixed with lots of other styles like glam, metal, blues, psykadelia, rockabilly etc. Much like bands like Hellacopters and Backyard Babies and still not, other influenses are Eric Clapton, David Bowie, Back Sabbath, Pink Floyd, Marily Manson, Smashing Pumpkins, Guns 'n roses, Wildhearts and so on.
Some people says this amp sounds like shit, what guitars have they used? where? in what condition was the amp and the speakercab? shit compared to what?
This amp is not for everyone, it's a matter of taste if you like it or not. Pherhaps your guitar doesn't suit this amp, or amp doesn't suit yor style. The only way to find out is to try out a lot of amps and find one you like, it's up to you to decide if an amp is good or bad. Take these reviews as a guide to what amp you're gone start to look into, don't buy one cause someone tells you it's great.

Can't afford a backup so I guess I have to depend on it, it seems to be built to last tough. The only thing that worries me is the ringing sound from the tubes when I transport it to rehearsal place or gigs.

Never dealt with them, hope I wont have to.

I have to tell a story from a gig I made once. In a song where I use the clean/cranked channel I open up with a slow sensetive intro on my own, on that inte I also use the chorus and a boss tremolopedal to get a sweet, glittery sound. After the gig a guy actually came up to me and asked if I was playing an old fender twin reverb with vibrato on for that tune, he was very happy to hear that sound again and especially from a young band like mine (18-22 years old guys). I had to dissapoint him by saying that it actually was a marshall with a boss pedal, he got very suprised but he told me he would go and check one out if marshalls suddenly had started to sound that good.
For me it was simply the best amp I could buy.

Well, this baby has all the features you could ask for and MORE! But what good are they if you can't or don't want to use them? I've only had this amp a week and I STILL get a little confused on what buttons do what to the tone (after glancing through the manual like 1 minute I'm fine, but still).

This amp sounds ver mediocre. I mean, it's not a BAD amp, yet it's not a GOOD amp, I agree that it IS a good amp for rythm and crunch chords, but it's bad for slow melodic solos (i.e. Pink Floyd). Keep in mind that I haven't tried that many amps so that may distort my taste, but overall, this amp isn't THAT bad. For the price though, I doubt I'd buy another one, I doubt I'd be able to AFFORD one in the near future.

Well, only had it for a week so can't say anything. I don't like how it was cheaply made though, scroll down and read others opinions. Sorry, I don't have enough time to explain that Marshall definitly skimped out of quality here.

never needed it

Well, this isn't THAT bad, I mean it IS a Marshall, so it's got to have SOME Marshall tone (Marshall Theorum). But it just doesn't have that real distinct character that I'm looking for (Van HAlen leads, Scorpions crunch, Pink Floyd Sustain/heart and soul).

LISTEN UP!!! I'm putting this notice HERE because this is the latest head that Marshall has made, so hopefully many people will read it. Anyways, since the past decade or so, Marshall Quality has really been sucking up the place BAD! I know everyone (including myself) badmouths their tone, quality, and affordibility, but other than to warn people, what good does it do? None. So here is what you need to do. Go to www.marshallamps.com/ Then click on FEEDBACK. TELL them that they're going down the tubes. TELL them that they need to get their shit back in gear. I've already sent them a piece of my mind, hopefully you all will do the same. (And if you agree with me, tell them they need to make a new head that had the tone and angelic voicing of the JCM 800 100 W lead head!) But PLEASE tell them SOMETHING. Thank your time
~Later Steve

This 100 watt all tube amp has ALOT of features. It uses four Svetlana EL-34 for power tubes. It has Seperate 4 band EQ (pres, bass, mid and high) for all three foot-switchable channals, plus seperate reverb for the dirty, (crunch & lead share reverb) and clean. Never mind the bass-boost for clean and dirty, (again, crunch and lead share)plus a seperate mid-cut for both crunch and lead, and a mid-boost for the clean. It also features two parralel FX loops which can be run as a master FX channel for all 3 of 'em, or you can have seperate channels for dirty and clean. If you don't use any FX you can just insert a dummy into the loop to to get a lead boost in whichever channel you're switched on, or you can have a sperate boost for dirty and clean, by changing the FX mix levels, you change the vol of the boost. It also features a varity of options for outputting to a speaker which also changes the tone a little, my favorite is using the 4 ohms...gives it a tighter sound, more like what you hear live cuz they are usually using a full stack. You can just output in 16 ohms or 8 & 8 or 4 & 4 in parralel, enabling you to use speaker cabs in stereo or full stack. Last but least, the VPR (Virtual Power Reduction) lets you play at quieter vol's while driving the power tubes (or maybe pre-amp's, I am not sure) to max, allowing you to get full distortion. That covers most of the features. Now, not all of these work great for me...the mid-cut button (I hate buttons) makes it sound really thin, so I never use it. The bass-boost just does that...adds way to much bass, but it does improve the clean sometimes. The mid-boost makes it unuseble for me. I like a little mid but not alot in my clean channel. The clean channel isn't really that great, I think Marshall should've left the eq after the gain stages like in the 800 series. They left it the same i the crunch and lead, though. The clean is way too clean even turning the gain way up, just doesn't have the sound for what I need. The crunch and the lead are bassically the same but there are some slight tonal differences. The lead channel gets fuzzy sounding the higher the gain goes, blurring the sound a little. I was impressed with this amp at first but now that I have had it for about six months I don't know what to do. When I bought it, I did ALOT of reserch, but found out later that the clean is different than older Marshalls, they use a different transformer which is what really affects the amps tone. Also I was looking for that Slash, Zakk Wylde tone and also found out the 800 series used partial trasistors instead of all tubes like the 2000's. This amp just doesn't have that...the tone is ok, different, but not great. This amp is LOUD! I use ear plugs (as all musicains should. protect your ears they the most important part of your instrument), so I can turn it way up without blowing my eardrums. The tone DOES improve when you get the vol up there, like all Marshalls. The VPR does get the distortion up there, but eats the tone up cutting on the mids and highs. bassically if you want to come close (but not quite) to other Marshalls, leave the VPR alone. In all...this amp has ALOT, but does alot of it poorly. I DO like the FX loops, but wish they would add a lead boost foot-switch like the new Mesa Boggie I read about. The lead boost is very nice but I would like to be able to use fx AND have a boost at the same time. Much more practical that way... also the seperate EQ is nice but, since my veiw on amps has changed, it's not nessecary. My dream amp setup is now: Two 100watt Marshalls, one for clean and one for dirty, with an A/B switch to change amps instead of switching channels. I see myself selling this amp and buying two old 800's instead. I definetly could with how much this amp costs...they REALLY over priced this for what you get. I would give Marshall a 7 for effort in TRYING to do stuff that is good, but they overdid it with all of the buttons...and quality in sound isn't up to Mar

Right now I am using this head with a Marshall 4x12 AV slat-cab, with vintage 30 celestions. Handles 300 watts, sturdy, but needs bigger casters. I own one guitar at the moment...a EPI SG-310, which sucks, but I am getting a wine red les paul custom, which sounds absoluty wonderful in this amp. I owned a little twenty watt crate before getting this, so this was a big jump up. My music stlye is bassically 80's metal. I play very melodic solos with very hard crunchy riffs. I also play punk rock, Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Aerosmith, Motely Crue, GNR, Ozzy...
This amp would be PERFECT for a rythm guitarist! But since I play lead the tone just doesn't cut it. It has perfect tone and plenty of gain for rythym playing and I would suggest to any metal or rock rythym player to check it out. Also, it's not really noisy at all, unless your under florescent lights, or something, but all amps hum under them. This amp can make alot of sounds, but for me, not many that are useable. Even though this amp is supposed to be a 'monster gain' amp, I wouldn't call it that. Do not get this if you play death metal or the likes...it's not that 'high gain' in the first place. Only four pre-amp tubes and four power-amp tubes. And I am not looking for a ton of gain, just good tone, which this is kinda lacking "That Marshall Tone". It does sound like one, but lacks the character of older Marshalls. The reverb isn't bad...a little bright, but not bad. I would prefer to just get a good 'verb pedal and leave it out of the amp entirely, but this is just my opinion (like the rest of this review:) I give it a 7 cuz it isn't THAT bad of an amp, just laking in perfect lead tones...but would be awesome for rythym.

I have had this amp for a while now...about six months. I have played it almost three hours every day and haven't had a valve problem yet, but valves are new to me and I hear that it can vary from amp to amp. I WOULD use this amp without a backup if and often do, but it cost so much I couldn't even think about another one right now. Besides, I am thinking of selling this and getting two used 800's. This way I would have two amps that I can have seperate EQ for, AND a backup. If it works for Slash it would work for me. So I would say that the amp I have is very dependable...and I really can't say about other TSL 100's. But I got this through musicians friend and nothing came damaged or broken or missing or even scrached. And eveything worked fine the first time and has been working good ever since. So I am giving it a 10 for now...who knows about the future. But I feel good about it and feel that if I keep on treating it well, the only thig that could go is the tubes. It is built very sturdy, too...

I have been playing about 5 years and decided it was time to get a good amp. What I like: The FX loops...they are really effective for a lead boost, but like I said before, I wish the foot-switch had that PLUS the FX loops. I like the seperate EQ, but since I am planning on getting two different amps and using them with an A/B switch, it doesn't really matter to me. I would rather have and amp that does one thing well, than a whole bunch of things moderatly. kepp in mind that this might be 'THE AMP' for you rythym players, as long as you like blues, rock, and metal... What I hate: All the stupid buttons I don't use ANY of them cept the bass-boost on the clean, which tend to be either to bassy or to trebly at times. I am stll trying to get a useable clean sound after six months. Why did I buy this? you ask. Well, I blew my crates speaker when I craked it trying to get a good sound out of something that inherently doesn't have it, so I needed a new amp, and soon. So I picked up the latest catolog, and looked for all of the Marshall gear. I really didn't think about getting a used one, cuz I wanted a new Marshall. Go figure...anyway, Marshall isn't making many amps to choose from right now, and I thought I wanted an all tube amp. All tube is cool, but it doesn't quite have the sound I am looking for. So I bought it cuz I knew I wanted a Marshall, but had never tried it. Go figure... So after the glory of owning a Marshall wore off, I began to look deeper into amps and setups, became much more wiser, and came up with the double amp head as the way to go. Well, if it WAS stolen...god help the poor bastard. This cost me way too much for me not to think about taking drastic measures :) I would get it back and then sell it maybe, just because it's not that great for lead playing. But do NOT overlook this for rythym! Try this one out and see for yourself...take your guitar into a store and ask to try one out! Don't do like I did! My overall rating or this amp would be a 7 for lead and an 8 for rythym. Or...if you weren't playing 80's metal, and just good rock n roll, this amp is really worth trying out. It is also REALLY good at blues...which is cool. But this amp did cost alot and considering all that is usable on it, it just doesn't make sence for lead guitar.

Yes, yes . . . All the features one could want. The only question is, how many of them will anyone use? Let's see now, there's not only separate e.q. for all three channels, but there's the ever-famous 'deep-switch', 'tone shift', and presence and reverb. Big fucking deal for the tone shift and deep-switch, by the way.

To make a long story short, this amp is not only so overly hyped, by Guitar Player Magazine and others, that I could puke, but it also sounds frankly terrible. Yes, the Clean channel is good and unlike any previous out of a Marshall but it is hardly that good that you need to run right out and buy this amp now. As for the Overdrive channels, if uni-dimensional, ice-pick like, aggressive, and unsoulful distortion is your cup of tea, then I suppose you'll really go gagga. Personally, I think it's pathetic. Also, the only real difference I could detect between Overdrive 1 and 2 is that 2 definitely sucks worse than 1, in that it's more compressed, more fuzzy, and sucks whatever little string definition there may be out of what was Overdrive 1. This is the fabulous "flexibility" that Marshall is touting as the latest and greatest? Give me a break! By the way, no matter what preamp tubes I put in the thing, and particularly given that 3 out of 4 initial ones were so microphonic as to be nearly dead, I could never get a well-rounded, articulate overdrive sound from this piece of s**t. So, as for "brutal distortion", I would have to say yes, this amp's distortion is just pathetic enough as to be offensive and, in this way, truly "brutal". Can someone remind the great Marshall corporate thing that unidimensional distortion, that's just a shade off of solid-state and which lacks note definition and soul, isn't worth jack s**t? Finally, the 'deep' switch is perfectly worthless at even moderate volumes because it will give you so much obnoxious, boomy, and poorly focused low-end, that you will never use it. As for the 'tone shift' buttons, the bottom-line is this: 'Shift' button out equals more midrange, 'Shift' button in equals less. Wow! What a bunch of enginering geniuses, huh? What can I contrast this amp to? Well, for one, I've owned a Harry Kolbe modified Marshall JMP for quite a while and it thoroughly outpaces this amp in every respect. Yes, it is modified, I know, but as long as you were asking . . . On a more conservative and readily available side of things, I also own a Peavey Classic 100 which is a fantastic head that is vastly underrated. No, it doesn't have 'deep' or 'tone shift' switches and it's only a two-channel amp, but what it does have is superb clean and overdriven tones with body and soul, substantially better construction, a simpler layout, and it's loud as hell. I defy anyone to listen to that head and say it doesn't rock. By the way, the Peavey will set you back 1/2 of what the Marshall costs.

One thing that is certainly the case now with Marshall, if, in fact, it was not always the case, is that they are terribly unreliable amps, period. I don't know if it's all that great sunny weather and wealth in the U.K. that drives this fabulous level of quality along but it certainly is woeful. To begin with, the first TSL 100 I bought, and still packaged in the box, mind you, was dead on arrival. Just dead, unless you consider a bloated, farting sound coming from the amplifier as indicative of something worth resucitating. A quick poke around the back of the amp revealed the pre-amp tubes to be just short of completely burnt. One of them was so microphonic that just tapping it lightly let out a loud howl. I took the amp back to the dealer who, of course, apologized profusely, stating that "big corporations like Marshall" sometimes overlook things like the quality of the tubes they use. Yo, asshole, say what? The next one was tested out of the box, in the store, and at least worked. However, it's been said many times before, and you just know it's the truth: THE MUSIC STORE IS THE WORST PLACE IN THE WORLD TO TEST AN AMP. So, taking the thing home and actually playing it awhile, without the usual nudnicks (yiddish, baby!) milling about, more accurately revealed what this amp can and cannot do. Strikingly, though maybe predictably, I ultimately found the second head to be so unidimensional as to make me wonder about the quality of it's preamp tubes as well. So, off goes the back cover, yet another time, only to find those tubes microphonic as well, just not as horribly as the first ones. Well, I don't know about you, but the addage of the chain being no better than it's weakest link really seems germane. Is it really too much to expect that a company that makes their "flagship" model, and charges a commensurate amount for it, actually do something novel like test the tubes they're planning to use? I don't think that it's really asking too much. The other scary thing about this debacle is that many consumers may not know enough to test for microphonics, though this obviously takes no big skill, or want to believe that the great, big company put bullshit, inferior tubes into their brand-spanking, new equipment. If you don't think of it, and force yourself to settle for the hype or "Marshall just kinda' sounds this way, I guess . . .", you've been fucked, and at quite a price tag to boot. Finally, as I have seen written about elsewhere in this Data base, Marshall is now using Dagnall transformers which are, in short, garbage. Christ, no wonder these new heads hardly weigh anything. The transformers are so wimpy, it's a disgrace. If you would like yet another comparison, for example, go ahead and measure the difference in weight between the TSL and the Peavey Classic 100 heads. You're going to need a bit of muscle to move the latter because the transformers are actually made out of good quality, beefy metal. Featherweights, and lighter, though, will certainly enjoy the new, 'improved' lightness of Marshall JCM 2000 TSL heads. Wow, they're so groovy and compact, you know? The final problem with wimpy transformers is that you're going to be changing power tubes often, if you play with any kind of regularity, plus the heads just don't sound as good. As a sort of amusing side-note, I wrote to Marshall about the immediately defunct tubes in my amp, only to receive, you guessed it, no reply at all. Thank you, Marshall.

As you may have picked up by now, I find Marshall to be a disgusting conglomerate of schlock-meisters, still milking the almighty image of 'kings o' the stack' for all it's worth when their quality and sound stinks royally. Any company that can't even find the time to jot the tiniest note of apology for shitty tubes, in a brand new amp that they promote, needs to be killed. Plus, if you ever try to talk with them by phone, as I did in calling Korg in New York, they're a bunch of rude, disingenuous assholes.

I've been playing guitar for about 20 years and while I can really appreciate the idea of the latest and the greatest, and would truly love to see it, I also know when I'm getting sold the 'emperor's new clothes.' Maybe it's the punk in me, but I say that Marshall is resting on it's fat, lazy laurels, coasting on a reputation that has always been overblown in the least, and, in conjunction with their crappy, new products, now needs to be crushed. I would encourage anyone out there not to buy their products. There are simply too many other real, quality companies out there, for eg. VHT, Wizard, Peavey, or Bogner, to name a few, from which to chose. Oh, yes, in case you're wondering, I returned the second head for a definitive refund. The chime of cash coming back to me over the counter was a most merry, righteous sound indeed, and far better than any amp I've ever heard. Thanks, Marshall, for putting it all in perspective, you fucks!

The features for this 100 watt monster head have been covered by other reviews, so here is a quick list: 3 channels (clean, crunch, lead) seperate eq's for all channels reverb controls for clean and crunch/lead channels tone shaping switches (Deep, mid scoop (crunch/lead), mid boost (Clean) power reduction from 100watts down to about 25 watts! This amp is set up to give the player a wide range of sounds and to actually be able to use them live. The foot switch is smooth and there is no sound when switching channels.

I mainly play modern trippy rock....(Think Smashing Pumpkins, NIN, Pink Floyd). I run the head through an older Marshall 4x12 with celestion 25w "greenbacks". I play a 97 Fender strat plus with gold lace sensor pickups and a 74 Ibanez "lawsuit" Flying V with super 70's pickups. For effects I use a Digitech rp-3 (delay, chorus...etc), a crybaby wah, and a big muff. All of my equipment sounds great running through this head. The clean channel is super clean if you want it, or slightly overdriven with the gain cranked. I recently got a chance to use a VOX ac-15 in the studio. The clean channel on the TSL can nail that sound. The crunch channel is pure Marshall rock tone! It has all the classic Marshall tone and then some. The lead channel really kicks some ass. Boogie fans note: This amp will not sound like a TOV or dual recto solo head. If you like the saturated Boogie distortion don't get this or any Marshall! (Duh) The lead channel kicks into some really big tones. Great for heavy chord chunkin or soloing. The notes are clear and the pick attack just jumps out at you.

I just got the amp a few days ago. This is not my first Marshall tube amp, and in the past the only things that ever went wrong with my old ones were self indused (beer spills, etc...) so I don't beleive there will be any major problems with this one.

Haven't dealt with them yet.

I've been playing for about 16 years now and this is the best amp I've ever had. I've played through rack systems, solid state amps, various tube heads, and this one beats them all. I did try out a trem-o-verb, dual and single recto heads and combos. Those were all good, but I like the Marshall tone and feel, therefor I got the Marshall. All you Marshall stooges out there...If you can afford this head, get it! It covers all the classic marshall sounds and has many tones that are completely fresh and new. I love it.

New in 1999. The TSL is a very versatile amp in terms of mostly Marshall-type sounds (I'll get to the CLEAN channel later).
3 channels, channel switching either manually or via footswitch, dual effects loops, NEARLY complete EQ for all 3 channels (CRUNCH and LEAD share presence, loop, and reverb controls), Deep switch and "scoop" switch for CRUNCH and LEAD channels, mid-boost for CLEAN channel, impedance switch (4-8 ohms), separate output for 16 ohms, Virtual Power Reduction switch that reduces the output wattage to around 25 watts (very useful).
Wish List... To me the thing that would make this already versatile amp a real killer would be a "voicing" switch to change the overall character of all 3 channels to something very "non-Marshall". Don't get me wrong - you buy a Marshall to get the "Marshall Sound", but if they had me on the design team that'd be my suggestion. Short of that, a bias switch to allow use of different power tubes would be very cool.

I play a Heritage H-150CM (basically a Les Paul Standard) and a Tom Anderson Classic (S,S,H) through the amp with a few analog pedals.
You can get anything from a sparkling clean (ALMOST blackface) to a medium gain, warm Plexi purr to full blown, kill the children, distortion carnage. It all depends on the channel, EQ settings, and the guitar you're using (just like most amps).
I've seen a few reviews here bitching that this amp doesn't provide enough distortion - huh? I would say that only the HEAVIEST of the Metal crowd would feel that way about this amp! Turn both the volume and gain of the LEAD channel to 7, presence at 6, hit the "scoop" switch your gonna hurt somebody! But raw distortion is not the only thing the TSL will do by any means. The range of tones available on this amp is truly remarkable.
I play in a power-pop/post-punk band called Weedpuller (www.weedpuller.com). In their songs I've got to be able to start a tune with a very clean punchy intro, kick in a killer rhythm grind, then punch above the other instruments and solo. The TSL pulls this off without a hitch!
I bought a Mesa Dual Rectifier Solo Head initially for use with this band, but it just didn't cut it for me. And this is coming from a die-hard Mesa fan (I own a Mark II combo and a Mark IV head)! Comparatively, the Mesa needed far too much volume to achieve the same amount of kick (even with 2 power tubes pulled). Also (I hate to say it but) the clean channel on the Dual Recto really sucks, IMHO! I know tons of folks are using the Dual Recto's and apparently are quite happy with them, but I really tried hard to like that amp and just couldn't do it! I've heard that replacing the 6L6's with EL34's on the Recto's smooths out the distortion so it's not so buzzy and brittle, but I never tried it.

I've had the amp for about 3 months and have had no problems whatsoever - but ask me again in 2 years! I was somewhat concerned initially because during gigs I would notice an electrical smell in the vicinity of the amp. The smell eventually went away, so HOPEFULLY everythings OK. We'll see!

My dealings with Marshall (through Korg of course) have not been, shall we say, satisfactory. I wanted to build an interface between my DMC Audio Switcher and the TSL - or at least find out if it was possible. I asked for some input and a schematic of the footswitch and the amp. After several weeks of hassling them, they finally told me I'd have to go through one of their service centers for the information and that the service center would have to do all the work. Really not helpful at all! I eventuall had my drummer (who's a very sharp electrician) check it out and do the work - no problem! Works like a charm! It only required some modifications to the footswitch! Speaking of which - if any of you reading this eval are interested in controlling your TSL via MIDI, let me know! It can be done!

Been playing for 28 years (damn has it been that long?) I own several Mesa amps as well (gotta love 'em), the above mentioned guitars as well as a modded Tele, a Taylor acoustic, various effects, etc.
If the amp were stolen, I'd probably think seriously about replacing it...or maybe I'd check out one of the new Mesa Nomads coming out this Summer - they're supposed to kick major ass!
If you're looking for great tone with a definite Rock and Roll attitude, the TSL is a great choice!

The TSL is Marsahall's triple super lead 100 watt tube head( 4 x EL34 power tubes and 4 x ECC83 pre-amp tubes ). It has 3 channels, channel switching ( with a big ass switching pedal ), dual fx loops,VPR ( virtual power reduction ) switch, output mute switch ( in addition to standby switch ) and lots of knobs to tweak to your hearts content.

I'm using the TSL with a Marshall 1960B Stereo Cabinet loaded with 4 75 watt Celestion 12" speakers. I would prefer 25 watt Greenbacks or vintage 30 watters. Various Les Pauls ( 56 LP Jr, 62 LP SG Jr, 72 LP Gold Top w/P 90's, 2 1992 LP Classic+'s ), 69 335, and 2 80's dot 335's, vintage Strats and Teles and a recent Dano Baritone 6 string push this loud bitch to it's limits. The clean channel is kinda "UnMarshall" like. I guess it's Marshall's attempt to be Fender like. Well, it's an clean attempt that makes this amp versatile. When pushing the gain, the clean channel dirty's up a bit. My present clean setting is: Volume at 10 o'clock, Gain at 2 o'clock,Treble at 2 o'clock, Middle at 2 o'clock, Bass at 12 o'clock, Mid Boost out, Presence at 12 o'clock, Reverb at 11 o'clock and the Deep Switch in. By controlling the desired volume levels, I use my guitar controls. The 2nd Channel is Crunch. My settings are Volume at 10 o'clock, Gain at 3 o'clock, Treble at 11 o'clock,Middle at 10 o'clock, Bass at 3 o'clock, Presence at 3 o'clock, Reverb at 11 o'clock, Tone Shift out and Deep Switch in. With my LP volumed maxed and these channel settings, this channel resembles a modern day Plexi. Channel 3 is the lead channel. My settings are Volume at 10 o'clock, Gain at 3 o'clock, Treble at 2 o'clock, Middle at 12 o'clock, Bass at maximum, Presence and Reverb shared with the settings of Channel 2, Tone Shift in and Deep switch in. This sounds more saturated than channel 2- more gain-more like Black Sabbath meets Judas Priest. The reverb on this amp could be better.It lacks sparkle and tone. I'm spoiled by my Magnatone MP1's reverb and Fender 63 re-issue reverb tank. When using too much gain, the amp sort of gets a brittle distortion. You know, the brittle attack you hear at the music store when some annoying teenager thinks he's a virtuoso. Also when using the Virtual Power Reduction switch, the amp cuts down to 25 watts- this is an impressive feature- I turn up the volume and cut the gain- less brittle. This feature keeps me in good standing with my neighbors. Unlike some previous reviewers, I feel this amp has plenty of gain. I've been playing for over 30 years at some very high volumes- my ears can still make out tones and are sensitive to loudness- THIS AMP IS LOUD!!!!! This is a versatile Marshall. It sounds like a Marshall- not a Boogie, Fender, Hiwatt or a Matchless.

Well,I bought it 2 weeks ago. No problems. I use and not abuse my equipment. If you treat your stuff like a football, then your warranty is extra important.

Never had to call with this or any of my other Marshall amps.

I've been playing for 30 + years and have recently become a Marshall fan. I have 2 Marshall Bluesbreakers, JTM 30 and JTMC ext cab, 2 1922 cabs, Acoustic Soloist and a 1960 B Stereo Cab. Marshall makes good rock stuff. I also own a huge compliment of Gibson, Fender, Ovation, Guild, Ibanez and Parker equipment. I'm not the type to say that a Korean Epi through my Pignose is the greatest thing since sliced bread. Not to be boastful, I feel I know and recognize quality sound and quality equipment. This is a very versatile rock amp- remember ROCK AMP- not to be confused with the tones of other styled amps. I've heard other people play this amp and I was very turned off by the sound. A lot of players go to maxing the gain without noodling with the tones- by doing this you miss the whole tonal body that this amp has to offer. Max the gain and sound like a juvenille shred clone. Listen and adjust the volume, gain and tones and sound like you. It's an expensive amp-it's loud-use the tone controls- they work.

100 watt el34s 4/12ax7a 3 channel preamp with seperate eq for each

NOT ENOUGH GAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Have had it for a week and put its through its paces at home for about 4 hours and then two nights of rehersals. so far so good.

havent had to use it yet!

Ive been playing for 40 years now and never liked marshall amps,at least not when im playing through them. thought i'd had a change of heart though thinking maybe they finally got it right but,but after bringing it home im sure glad i didnt get rid of my boogie stuff. the shame of it is if they wouldve put just that one more 12ax7 in there i would have been happy. i will give them a big A+ on improving the clean sound,the main reason i hated marshall in the first place. anyway its back to the store for this TSL. maybe theyll get it right next time. those modeling amps are looking better all the time!!!

This is a pretty modern amplifier. I'd date it within the last 2 years. Its fairly versatile but lacks that last bit of punch that you can only find in a Dual Rectifier. It's got 3 channels and a sh*tload of buttons. If it were up to me I'd stick another 12AX7 into this thing. It has good tonal characteristics but the extreme amounts of gain that I require are not in here. I personally never like to turn the gain all the way up on any amp. It always seems to kill certain notes. This amp is a good recording tool as is any marshall I've ever used. I tried it live once and it just doesn't have that big sound. Almosts like it is being compressed. It is however extraordinarily loud though. Much louder than a Boogie. Maybe if I plug the send of a Dual rectifier into the preamp of the TSL...

Its got a decent amount of crunch to it but its more like vinatge crunch. Some people rave about the elusive vintage sound and to those people, stop whining! Marshalls produce a genuine vintage tone. However I am a modern contemporary guitarist. I could give 2 sh*ts about vintage sounds. Would much rather be using my boogie. In the clean department it does sort of win over the boogie. Not because it sounds better but because it is easier to get to. The 3 channels really do give it a slight advantage over the boogie.

It is a Marshall. It is built like a rock (Its still not as strong as my boogie's chrome chasis!).

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Been playing for...I dunno. Can't remeber. Would unfortunately for marshall not buy it again. I hate the fact that I can't push the sh*t out of it. I truthfully don't know why I picked this amp. It looked cool, and it said Marshall on it. If you want a really good vintage Metallica sound this is your amp. If you want to explore your brain to get your own sounds get a Dual Rectifier.